What do rock & roll, fashion modeling, kite surfing, and a tropical island have in common with a family from Canada? The new reality show – Culture Shock: A Rockin’ New Life, which is currently filming its pilot episode. Tired of the rat-race and bored with their conventional lifestyle, a family sells everything to move to a tropical island. What they didn’t expect was the “culture shock” they would experience in this new life.

Whether the family is performing in their rock band Culture Shock, blasting off the waves on their kite boards, coping with the unpredictability of island living, or dealing with the trials and tribulations of raising a teenage fashion model daughter . . . their new life is always rockin’.

Joey and Karen Ciott first visited the north shore of the Dominican Republic in 1985 on a windsurfing trip. The incredible beauty of the island and its people captivated them and they vowed that one day they’d make this island their home. It took sixteen years of hard work, focus and determination to finally make their dream a reality.

“In many ways it wasn’t an easy decision,” says Karen. “Even though we knew in our hearts that this is what we were meant to do, it was difficult to finally get the courage to move that far away from our friends and family – but there was something pulling us there and we couldn’t deny it anymore.” In 2001, they boarded the plane with their six year old daughter, Samantha, to begin their new adventure.

Formerly a member of Canadian bands Platinum Blonde and Trixie Goes Hollywood, Joey’s passion for songwriting was re-ignited by the life-altering move. He wrote 26 new songs inspired by their experiences on the island. Samantha learned to play guitar at the age of nine, and five years later picked up the bass. Karen picked up the drumsticks and the family’s rock band, Culture Shock, was born.

Samantha was also chosen by premier modeling agent Elmer Olsen to appear in Bootcamp 2 Bigtime 2012 on July 19th at the Metropolitan Hotel in Toronto, followed by a fashion show at This is London club in Toronto that evening. Twenty-five of the world’s biggest international agents will be in attendance, searching for their next star!Be prepared to see a lot of Culture Shock. In addition to their reality show, plans are in the works to record a 4-song EP to be recorded in September, collaborating with some well-known international artists (to be announced). They’re also working on a music video to be released in the fall.